If you use a poor headline, it does not matter how hard you labor over your copy because your copy will not be read. – John Caples

If your headline sucks then the rest of your message will never get a chance.

Conventional wisdom will say start with a seed idea or keyword, plop it into your headline formula, and voila – you have viral content in the works.

I wish life were so easy.

It’s not.

Headline formulas will save you time, energy, and skyrocket your conversions. If you use them too much then you’ll come off as repetitive and stale.

Instead, use a healthy mix of headline formulas and headlines from scratch.

In this post, you’ll be introduced to some of the most powerful headline formulas available. Though they’re called headline formulas, you can and should use them throughout your copy.

They remove a lot of the guesswork associated with copywriting.

Every time you sit down to write a blog post, lead generation page, sales page, or any other page on your website – consult this post. Add it to pocket or bookmark it right now. Hell, send it to your partner for safe keeping.

Yea, it’s that important.

Before we jump into the formulas, I want to equip you with the ability to make great headlines. That is, great headlines without a formula.

You need to know the rules before you can break them – right?

7 Elements of killer headlines

A headline has a lot of moving parts. Not all of them are needed every time. You can focus on a few elements and get your point across.

Other times, you need to pull out the big guns.

At all times, you need to keep them in mind and make sure you’re ticking a few of the boxes.

Specific

Specificity is way more powerful than a few general statements. It lends credibility to your headline and the rest of your content.

Use numbers or references to invoke specificity.

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Conclusion

Headline formulas are a great way to jumpstart the creative process. Use them as a tool to aid you, not as a lifeline to save you.

There are dozens of headline formulas in this post. Any one of them will turn into a great headline. That notwithstanding, it’s your duty to mix in the headline formulas and the ones you’ve created from scratch.

If you don’t, your jaded visitors will tune you out. Either they’ll see it on your website or the wider web. The result is the same. Your headlines cease to do their job.

There’s nothing new under the sun. All we do is rearrange the ingredients to make something unique.

Let me know the bits and pieces you’ve combined to make your own headline formulas in the comments and don’t forget to share.